This Is True
by Ice-Cold-Diamonds
Summary: Mark leaves Terra Nova on a mission to investigate the Badlands. Maddy is left inside the perimeter, worrying sick as they lose communication with his team, and she's forced to face the fact that the man she cares so deeply for, may not return.


**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sure there aren't too many of you reading this story, as this fandom is pretty much dead, but nevertheless I just wanted to say that I'm still so disappointed that this series never continued. I watched Terra Nova when it first came out and have probably watched it at least twice a year since then. Because I (and probably you as well) need more of this world than we were given I decided to write this one-shot, purely for anyone who's still out there and interested.**

 **Please review if you did take a peek at this story; it would be great to here from new fans of the show or old fans who are just as upset about the discontinuation as I am. I'd also love to write a part two to this so let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy! xx**

Madelyn Shannon usually dreaded the time of day when classes had to end, but today she was waiting for the clock to strike four. Zoe was staying at a friend's house overnight which meant no babysitting. She had a free afternoon and one she intended to spend questioning the Commander. His office wasn't too far from the school buildings and with her quick pace, she could make it in less than ten minutes.

The sun was shining a vibrant orange, setting slowly as she made her way up the steps. Taylor's office was empty and as Maddy looked around, with no one else in sight, she began to leave. She was halfway to the door when she heard and exasperated sigh from 'upstairs'.

His observation deck was the 'Commander's private place', Mark had told her, although he didn't divulge anything more, never explaining what Taylor actually did there.

"Commander?" she called out with more frustration in her tone than intended.

"Up here, Shannon."

Maddy instantly climbed the ladder, "Permission to enter?"

"Granted." he replied and held out his hand to help her up.

She let her eyes gaze in wonder at the sky. "It's a beautiful view, Sir." The sunset was gorgeous; a mix of magentas and crimsons swirled together with streaks of pink.

He nodded in reply. "What's on your mind, Madelyn?"

"I came here to demand answers about Mark's mission. But I realise now that that would be out of line. It's not my place to know what they're doing out there or where they're going." She paused for a second, letting out a shaky breath. "I guess I'm just worried."

"We all are." The Commander let out a breath before continuing. "Honestly, I cannot tell you much." He stopped again and she figured that the news she was about to receive wouldn't bring her any comfort. "Wash was supposed to check in two days ago. No report yet."

For a moment neither of them said anything, both merely thought of the people they cared so dearly for.

"Can you do something for me?" Maddy began, "Please, tell me when they check in? I just need to be in some aspects of the loop."

After a while Taylor agreed and sent her on her way, suggesting she get home before the sky got any darker. "Thank you, Commander."

He gave her a sideways glance paired with a small smile and she left. Many people told her that the Commander was a heard hearted man, made that way by the decisions he was forced to make. But the man she had just stood with wasn't hard or strong; he was broken. He could put on an act, pretend he was tough and stoic, but Maddy knew that he wanted as much information as she did. She knew that he was just as worried for Wash as she was for Mark.

-x-

His place was painted, like many of the others in the soldiers' blocks, with an earthy green tone and brown trims. There was a hammock to one side of the courtyard, a small set of chairs and a table to the other. It was shaded by a variety of large trees, offering privacy from almost every angle and Maddy often caught Mark watering the flowers that edged their roots.

Quickly, she found a home amongst the fabric of the hammock and without knowing it, she had dozed off. She dreamt of him, and his guard uniform; a blanket of armour that shrouded him from all the terrors outside the gates. She dreamt that he was safe, in a cave somewhere near the sea, with his friends surrounding him and a blazing campfire to keep them warm.

But all too quickly the vision changed, one moment he was happy with the rest of his men, the next he was alone, shoulders slumped in sadness. He was crying, blood flowing from his mouth and nose.

Then the dream was altered and Mark wasn't by himself. He was tied to a pole in one of the Sixer's camps. There were burn marks on his arms and chest. A man was warming his knife over the fire. The blade was light a bright orange, almost white at the tip, and she soon figured out that it was the dagger she had bought him for the trip. They were using his own weapon to torture him!

As the man grew nearer to Mark, and the crazed grin on his face grew wider, Maddy screamed. She pleaded with the stranger to let Mark go; to show mercy. "You're going to kill him! Stop! Please!"

At the sound of her voice, Mark's head tilted up. "Maddy? Maddy!" He was yelling her name, tears streaming down both of their faces. She couldn't bear to hear how hurt he sounded as he called for her.

"Maddy! Maddy, wake up."

That wasn't Mark.

She jolted up right; woke to the sight of Elijah, Mark's roommate. She could feel the tears drying on her face from the cold night air. How long she had slept, she wasn't sure.

"Miss Shannon, you should be getting home. It's late."

She rubbed at her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

The blonde shook his head and smiled, "You two and your unnecessary manners. I'll walk you home, yeah?"

"Thanks, Eli." Maddy tried to smile but the horrors of her nightmare were still too fresh in her mind.

"I sort of have to be nice you know? Mark would kill me if I was anything but."

"I miss him." she sighed.

"I know."

-x-

Eli knocked on the door politely, before opening it and calling for Maddy's mother. Within seconds, Elizabeth came running through the house and embraced her daughter. "Where were you? It's been hours! Are you okay?" She pushed Maddy away, only far enough to place her hands on her face. Then she turned to Eli and asked as they went inside, "Is she okay?"

"Nothing bad. She was over at my place. Not sure for how long. I was coming home from sentry when I saw her on the porch."

"Thanks for bringing her home."

Eli quietly excused himself and after Elizabeth had waved goodnight, she looked back at her daughter. "Why didn't you come home when it got dark?"

"I fell asleep. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Oh darling it's alright. I'm just glad you're safe. I should go find your father. He's been out there looking for you."

And on cue, Jim Shannon opened the door. "Elizabeth, I passed Elijah on the way back, he said Maddy was home. Is she-" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw his daughter.

"Hey dad."

Jim let out a sigh of relief and pulled Maddy into his arms. "Maddy was over at Eli's. She fell asleep. He brought her home."

"What were you doing at Eli's?" her father asked with a confused expression, but it changed to understanding quickly, "It's Mark's place too."

"Yeah. I don't know why I went there. I couldn't even make it inside." Maddy looked down at her feet.

"You want some water, sweetie?" Jim asked.

"Nah, I'm alright. I think I'm just gonna go to bed." She hated that idea, petrified that the terrors would come back, but she didn't want her parents to know how rattled she was. He'd been gone for so long.

Elizabeth placed a hand on her daughters shoulder. "I'll tuck you in"

"I'll go to Boylan's and let Josh know his sister's home. Goodnight girls." He gave Maddy a kiss on the forehead and shut the front door, a little hesitant to leave them so soon.

"Mum, can I ask you something?"

The two walked into Maddy's room, now separate from Zoe's thanks to the extension that only finished a month or so ago. "Sure."

"How do you deal with it?"

"I don't." her mother admitted, knowing exactly what Maddy meant. "You can't."

"Why does it hurt so much?"

"Because it's true." She pulled the covers over her daughter. "I promise you, wherever he is, he's thinking of you as much as you are him."

-x-

The market place was buzzing, it always was on a Saturday and Maddy had an entertaining list of things she needed to buy. Paint for Zoe, the budding artist with the creative and colourful imagination. A new wooden guitar pick for Josh, the thriving musician with songs to write and girls to impress. Some fruit and veg for the family, who were all much more adjusted to the vegetarian lifestyle. And some nails for her father, who was determined to build another garden box for her mother.

Maddy tried to keep herself busy, offering to help out by doing the shopping and the cleaning but ultimately, her mind couldn't focus on anything but her boyfriend. It didn't help that shop owners and community members would ask her how Mark was; it just reminded her of how little she really knew.

"Maddy?" she turned away from the market stall to see Elijah pacing towards her. "I've been trying to find you all day."

They began walking in the direction of her house. "What's up?"

"There's been some news." Maddy stopped immediately, unable to determine anything from his reserved tone. "I have to go, my shift starts in a few minutes. You should talk to Taylor though."

"Thanks." He nodded his reply before running in the opposite direction. At least she had a plan now; drop the groceries and supplies off to give her time to settle her nerves, then she'd talk to the Commander.

It didn't take her long to unpack her basket and distribute the gifts she purchased. Josh wasn't home so she left the pick on his bed side table and she'd passed her father on the way, handing him the nails while he told her about his adventure to collect the wood. Zoe was in her room and she almost burst at the sight of the red, blue and yellow containers. Elizabeth was in the kitchen and so she took to unpacking them as soon as Maddy had walked through the door. With that taken care of, Maddy set out to find Taylor, eager for information about her soldier.

She ran straight to the Commanders office, desperate to know what he knew. Maddy still couldn't figure out if this information was going to build her up or break her down. But either way, she had to hear it.

"It's not exactly good, Maddy." The Commander stated when he saw her standing in the doorframe. "Some of his team have returned. They got separated from the rest of the group during a tyrannosaurus attack."

An icy hand clutched at her lungs, causing her breaths to come in uneven, sharp bursts. "How many?"

"Four. Arrived this morning just before sunrise."

That meant that there were still nine of them out there, including Washington and "Mark?"

"Reynolds, as far as they know, survived and Jones said he has a fair few injuries, as they all do, but nothing that would stop him from coming home." Taylor placed his hand on Maddy's shoulder and she leant on the railing, easing the air she inhaled. "He will, Madelyn. He will come home."

Maddy thanked him for informing her and quickly excused herself, wanting to process everything on her own. She spent the next few hours tucked away in her room, writing in the journal that Josh had bought her to celebrate a year in Terra Nova. She wrote about Mark and the pressure she felt when she thought of what he was facing out beyond their borders.

The tears fell silently as Maddy dived into bed, burying herself underneath the blankets and pillows. Her breaths came in long, hallowed gasps, slowly becoming louder as she struggled to hold in her sobs. Maddy didn't care though, because she loved a man whose fate she did not know. Mark could come back in a day or a weeks or a month or a year. Or maybe he would not come back at all.

However, Maddy knew that one thing was certain, no matter what would happen to Mark, she would never fall for anyone else, ever. And she knew that she would never give up hope.

-x-

Two days later and she was sitting about ten rungs high on the perimeter fence. Her feet were dangling weightlessly and her arms draped over the next rung lightly. The view of the mountains under the shining stars was one she didn't appreciate enough. The feel of the fresh, cool air that danced against her skin calmed her hot and heavy nerves.

There was a time in her life when she would have never pictured herself as the kind of girl that would climb anything, but Terra Nova has changed that. The young woman discovered her hidden talent for climbing the boundary after Josh had bet she wouldn't be able to reach the top. It was as simple as that. Sibling rivalry was the best motivator. Not even the impending threat of a dino-bite could get her moving as fast as the stubborn drive that all sister have to prove their brothers wrong.

She smiled at the memory of the argument, glad for the distraction it brought. The reality was quite different however, as she was sitting on those wooden rungs, staring out at the tree line, waiting for any sign of Mark's return. Eli had told her earlier that Washington had finally been in contact, letting Taylor know that they were on their way back, with many sick soldiers. She'd been so happy when she heard the news, but the more time she spent alone with her thoughts, the more she came to realize how serious the situation was. Her mind kept asking questions that she didn't want to answer. How badly was he hurt? What kind of emotional trauma has he endured? What did he have to do out there to survive for this long? It was true that he was coming back, the lieutenant had confirmed it, but how different would he be when he returned?

She decided then and there that none of that mattered; he was alive and he was on his way home. If that wasn't enough to make her smile, the sight of spotted fire emerging from the forest was. There, walking along the clearing, was Mark. Maddy couldn't see him, but she knew that among the dimly lit cluster of soldiers, Mark was there. She practically flew down the fence, landing on the ground so hard her ankles cried with pain. She didn't care. She willed her legs to move, to carry her towards the front gate as fast as possible. Her eyes stayed glued to the orange swarm on the other side of the fence as she ran along the boundary.

It didn't take long before she reached the opening near the Commander's office, where she stood in between Elijah and her father, fiddling with her fingers and shivering from something that wasn't the chill in the air. She was nervous, more so than she had ever been in her entire life and the questions that were haunting her arose again. How different would he be?

Her father took one hand in hers and squeezed it lightly, offering what she's sure was meant to be a reassuring smile, before letting it go to rest on his gun. Even though Wash had delivered the message personally, Taylor made sure a heavy amount of security was present, just in case something else was going on. Maddy didn't want to think about that. All she wanted was the team back, safe behind the perimeter. But as they drew closer, as the faces became recognizable, she began to realize that even that goal would be hard to achieve. They all had blood covering their uniforms, most now with rips or holes in the fabric.

Her heart ached for the men and women before her, for the pain they had so visibly been through and she willed herself to continue searching the faces. Her eyes settles on his and she surged forward, tears threatening to fall. Maddy tripped on her feet as the distance closed between them. It felt like hours before she fell into his arms.

Neither of them spoke, both breathing the other in, willing themselves not to wake up just yet. Mark kissed her temple, making his way down her face until he captured her lips with his own. It was gentle but firm, and Maddy couldn't describe the fierce need that throbbed within her. She clung to him, reaching an arm around his neck and placing her free hand over his heart. It seemed to click then that he was finally home and she looked up at him.

"You're real." he whispered, more to himself than to her. Maddy's hands came up to cup his face and he squeezed her waist with urgency. "You're here."

Maddy lightly pressed her lips to his. "I'm here."

They stayed like that for a while longer, enveloped in each other's arms, before Mark pulled away and stared down at her, grazing his hands along her back and hips. "Take me home?"

Maddy slid her hand into his, not wanting to lose the contact. The two walked down the stone streets towards his complex. She leaned her head into Mark as they walked up the porch steps. The pair paced quietly down the hallway that lead to his bedroom, trying not to disturb Eli, who had already found his way back.

Maddy went straight to Mark's dresser, pulling out one of his plain green t-shirts and slipping into it. She turned to see him staring at her.

"I missed you." he said in a sleepy, hushed tone. She stalked towards him, raising a hand to properly inspect his facial injuries, the only ones she could really see.

The young brunette ran her lips along Mark's neck. "I'm no doctor," He laughed at the memory of her first day at the clinic. "but can't I do something to help you? At least clean you up?"

Mark smiled, taking off the layers of his uniform, before slipping his arms around her loosely, distracting her from the bruises and gashes that covered his body. "I'm really tired." he admitted.

Maddy entwined her fingers with his, pulled him close to the bed and practically pleaded as they sat down, "At least let me wipe that dirt off your face?" She didn't want to mention that there was more than just dirt on his face and as she followed one of the blood drips down his neck she finally saw the extent of the mission's damage.

A sharp gasp and tears brewed again. She willed herself to stay calm. It wasn't fair that she was breaking down after all he'd obviously been through. She should be strong for him, not the other way around.

"Hey," Mark reached his thumb to brush away the drop that had fallen and he scooted closer to her, ignoring the sharp pain in his side. "I'm okay."

"No. You're not."

The soldier lifted her chin with his hand. "Talk about it in the morning?"

She agreed but when he leaned in she turned away. "None of that until I clean you up."

Mark complied, knowing Maddy wouldn't give up until she got her way. She manoeuvred herself into the ensuite while he made his way under the covers, pulling off his pants in the process. Maddy grabbed a few face washers, dampened by warm water, and some antiseptic wipes.

When she stepped back into the bedroom, the man she loved was asleep.


End file.
